When are we going to demand that our athletes go beyond their culture and act like human beings?

Serena Williams did it again.

Two years after a threatening tirade cost her her semifinal with eventual champion Kim Cjlisters (and almost $100,000 and a two-year probation, where another "major violation" would cost her a major), she got into it again with the officials at the US Open, as part of losing her cool, and the final, to Stosur.

As part of an exchange which earned her another code violation, she fouled to give the first game of the second set to Stosur on the last point, yelling before the point was over, a violation of the "hindrance rule" probably put on by all the grunting going on in women's tennis.

So she basically goes off on the officials and loses the match.

She's fined TWO THOUSAND DOLLARS.

Never mind she's on probation still for the Cjlisters match incident (it ended with that final -- it was for two years after that US Open). $2,000...

Chris Chase and Mary Carillo say it better than I can.

Carillo: "I don't like bullies. I think they're the scourge of the universe. [...] What happens in the sport of tennis is that there are no substitutions. The player has so much power on that court. If you throw her off the court, the match is over. It's not like in any other team sport where someone is acting like an ass-clown and you can toss them out and the game continues. Believe me, tennis players have always understood how much power they have and they've pretty much always understand how much abuse they could dole out before they get in trouble."

Serena Williams has been bullying the women's tennis tour for years, and so has her father. That they are black is no accident to the process -- and if they are going to use the race card to their advantage, then I'm going to use it against them.

The fact that Serena Williams is black, plus the fact that Serena Williams is, and by a significant distance, THE -- ONLY -- RELEVANT -- AMERICAN -- TENNIS PLAYER has allowed her to get away again with bullying, if not outright threatening, match officials.

This is the kind of stuff one watches for in soccer to watch for fixed matches by officials too damned scared for their own safety to effectively carry out their duties.

Chase: "If the USTA and WTA continues to act as if they need Serena more than she needs them, this behavior will continue. Fine her $250,000, ban her from the Australian Open and demand a public apology before she's allowed to play another major. If she balks, so be it.

None of this will happen, of course, because the idea of a primetime Saturday night U.S. Open final next year between Vera Zvonareva and Francesca Schiavone would be a disaster. So Serena will continue to get away with her antics, just like usual."

No. That should've been the penalty TWO YEARS AGO.

It is now long past time to BAN SERENA FROM THE TOUR -- for at least one year.

And if she, like many of our prominent athletes, refuse to act like human beings, then don't come back.